Our staff was part of a Fam trip to Ngamba Island
Achieve Global Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2011)
- Member Of:
- APTA, AUTO & USAGA
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $30 to $900 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
BE
Email Brian | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Plagued by admin issues.
My experience with Achieve global safaris wasn't great. After some back and forths with the team an itinerary was agreed on and 50% was paid in advance, it was mentioned that the remaining 50% would be paid on arrival with my Amex.
Here's a summary of the issues I faced:
I was told my Amex would work, it didn't, I had to dig around for another card
During the Rwanda part, of the trip, the driver saw and commented on my headphones, upon returning from the chimp safari he told me he used them and they were great. Not cool. He'd also eaten my lunch so I ended up with his choices. Again not cool.
For the Congo part, I needed my yellow card to show my vaccines, I wasn't informed about this but took it anyway. Feedback from admin was 'oh we thought you knew'.
For the flight from Rwanda to Uganda, I was not informed beforehand that I needed a visa. I escalated that to the admin contact and again she said 'it's not our fault, we thought you knew'. A shocking response, they informed me about the Congo visa but not the Uganda one? Madness
The Uganda itinerary wasn't accurate, there was confusion between admin and the driver, luckily I hadn't booked the hotel myself or else i'd have lost money.
The Uganda seemed to be more concerned with working on his preference of timing. I missed an activity because he didn't want to eat at a certain time, which meant us waiting around for 2 hours in the roasting heat doing nothing.
The Uganda driver asked if it was OK to pick up his wife on the way back from Queen Elizabeth park to Kampala. I said OK but this actually added 2 hours to the trip that he didn't tell me about.
Overall it was pretty disappointing. I also voiced my concern that there were no internal flight options proposed, the admin contact came back saying 'I didn't know your budget'. Another odd response considering 3 hotel budget options were proposed.
Avoid, the whole experience was pretty disappointing.
BEWARE OF SCAMMER / LOW QUALITY
I am glad that I did not book with Achieve. I saw their van while in Murchison and it wasnt nearly as nice as the 4x4 with a pop top that we enjoyed for a better price with Uzuri (https://uzurisafaris.com/) instead.
I had originally planned on booking with Achieve, but their email account was hacked and I sent a wire for $3,140 USD to scammers. The owner Polly Kamugisha took zero responsibility even though I took steps to verify the fake instructions sent from their email account. I even messaged an Achieve employee on whatsapp to "confirm the email with updated instructions are legit? Just wanna make sure nobody sent a fake message from your email account" (see screenshot).
I wouldnt normally air my dirty laundry like this but the world should know that the business owner's response to the incident was that I should seek help from the police... not only is he ignorant about the likelihood of a recovery via law enforcement, but I am still shocked that he doesnt think Achieve has any responsibility for the instructions sent from their compromised email account. Wouldnt even agree to split it.
Probably would have been more victims if I hadn't separately reached out to a 3rd party lodge in my efforts to verify the suspicious instructions sent from Achieve's email address. They called Polly to make him aware of my concerns before I sent the wire.
Don't expect Achieve to be there for you if anything goes wrong! Have the time of your life with Uzuri or any number of better companies out there!
US
Email Amy | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Poor Quality of Vehicle
I wrote to Jolie about our very poor experience with my group of 8 traveling 5-7 hours every day in a vehicle that was unsafe and has issues every single day and she completely dismissed me, and even blamed me. She asked why I didn’t send her pictures and I told her because our guide was in communication with her everyday it had issues. I asked for a new vehicle three times but he just kept getting it fixed, stating he will let the company know about the poor condition of the vehicle. Every time we shut the door of different bolt or piece of the vehicle would fall off or fall apart. It was very laughable. The vehicle had to be taken in for servicing 4 times. It lost brake fluid, lost 4 wheel drive, was leaking a large amount of oil, broke down 3 times, had no AC, and my seat wasn’t even bolted down. She dismissed me and my complaints and told me there is nothing wrong with the vehicle. One of my guest had to fix the vehicle himself and he said it doesn’t look like the vehicle has been serviced in years and transmission and radiator was caked with mud and dirt and that’s why we kept overheating. It was sooooo uncomfortable being cramped in this vehicle for 8 days breathing in dust and pollution because the company was too cheap to give us air conditioning.
Here is the letter I wrote to Jolie that only came back pointing the finger back to me and completely dismissing and minimizing my concerns:
Jolie,
Thank you for planning my trip for my group to Rwanda and Uganda. Thank you for Joseph - he was wonderful and for picking really great accommodations!
The highlight was of course seeing the primates , which everyone loved. All the trekking excursion were awesome.
The biggest negative feedback is long drive times in a bad vehicle. I feel your company really needs to replace this vehicles. Guests cannot pay what they do and spend 8 days in this vehicle.
I am requesting some sort of refund for our poor experience with the vehicle over our 8 days. The vehicle had no air conditioning so my guests spent 8 days either extremely hot with the windows up or breathing in dust and exhaust with them down. The vehicle is in very bad condition and you really should not be using it for your customers. I am embarrassed and had to apologize multiple times to them. We lost several hours of our tour due to it breaking down. Everyday there was a new issue with the vehicle. I saw several other companies with nice, new, branded vehicles where the guests could have their windows up and enjoy a comfortable ride. I am not sure why your company could not provide the same comfortable experience for us. Being in this vehicle for 4-7 hours every day ( which I was unaware would be the case) made this trip difficult and not the experience I was looking to provide to my guests . I felt like I was going to pass out several different times due to sitting in the front and the heat of the engine on me with no AC. Often times, the vehicle was not safe( no 4 wheel drive, leaking oil, break fluid issue, my seat not bolted down, etc)
I am disappointed you did not let me know in advance that Kigali would be shut down and we would miss the scheduled itinerary for this location on the 1 st day, which many were looking forward to on their once in their lifetime trip to Rwanda. Not planning in advance for this or our luggage was avoidable. Putting 8 people in an old, run down vehicle with space for 3 people’s bag was a questionable choice. Thank you for sending an extra vehicle after the fact though. I have no idea what we would have done if you did not do that.
Please let me know what you feel would be a fair refund back to my credit card for our experience. Thank you
US
Email Laura | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good Experience
Overall, we had a great experience. Zedius is a good driver and an attentive guide. The Buhoma Community Haven Lodge was excellent, and the bird guide that AGS engaged, Nicholas, was excellent as well. Doreen was very responsive and tailored the trip to our needs. Would recommend AGS to anyone looking for quality and affordable organized travel options in East Africa.
CO
Email Alejandra | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great safari with Rauben
We had a great experience. The itinerary was fulfilled without any inconvenient. Luckily we were able to see he animals we wanted, and the lodges had good services. Our guide Rauben was really nice and always tried to find the way to make our experience better. We were confident since the day we booked months ago since we always had fast and fluent communications with the safari responsible.
The maintenance of the car can be improved, for example, the AC was not working.
US
Email Yasmin | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Elisa was warm and charming, Murchison falls was spectacular
We finished a 2 night /3 day Safari to Murchison falls. My friend who we were visiting booked so I can't comment on communication but it was very good value for money - 2 adults and 4 kids. Pakuba lodge was comfortable with excellent food, our vehicle was comfortable and clean and included were game drives and boat rides. Elisa our driver was wonderful and dedicated to making sure we saw plenty of game. He was punctual, friendly and great with the kids. The only thing was the long drive from Kampala to MF with several stops - I would suggest fewer stops and taking a packed lunch if traveling with kids. Our lodge was 1.5 hours after reaching the gate which made for a long day. Would definitely recommend the company and Elisa!!
FR
Email Vergne | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A good break
Organization ahs been easy and well adjusted to our expectations thanks to Jolie
Good trip the driver knows the country perfectly, good time saving.
BE
Email François | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Overall good experience, but the choice of one hotel in Kitgum was bad.
The overall safari was well organized. Apoka lodge in Kidepo Valley NP is excellent. The hotel Bomah in Kitgum was bad. On our way back the Churchill hôtel in Gulu was good.
The driver was excellent. Only regret the car had no airco.
CA
Email Valerie | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Quality 6-day tour
I went on a 6 day tour of Western Uganda, including Kibale, Queen Elizabeth and Bwindi. First of all, our guide John was great. He was super knowledgeable. He always had our best interest in mind. He was incredible at spotting wild life, and I’ve never been on a more dedicated game drive. And I trusted him completely as a driver. I initially booked as a solo female traveller, and although I had a friend join me last minute, I would have been completely comfortable travelling with him solo.
Secondly, the accommodations that were booked were excellent. The food provided was also very good – even for a vegetarian!
The reason this review doesn’t have 5 stars is due to communications with head office prior to the trip. When I initially booked, I triple checked the airport drop off time before booking my flight, but weeks before the trip I was given an itinerary with a different drop off time (and one that would result in me missing my flight home). John made the initial drop-off time work with a very early start and efficient breaks, but it certainly wasn’t ideal. Also, our chimp trekking permit timing did not match our itinerary, and no one was made aware of it until we showed up at the trekking office. To be fair, I was dealing with someone else when I initially booked the trip, so some things might have been lost in the transition. Communication was always prompt when planning the trip and when it was approaching.
Despite some hiccups, I would still go with Achieve again. They are significantly cheaper than other options, and provide good value for money. I could not see any differences between the experience provided between us and other groups.
BE
Email laurence bastien | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
2 days gorillas trekking in bwindi forest, in rushaga sector and in nkuringo, harder than the first
our guide and driver Abdul was very friendly and very proficient
the translator Celestin was not at the top, not able to understand what whe mean and it was difficult to understand what he said
service ok (it was only the transfer)
gorillas have been reached easily in rushaga and also in nkuringo, but it was really more difficult in nkuringo due to the steep incline when we came back
no problem for the backpacks, there are porters, because a lot of water is necessary
no problem for disable person, there are stretchers
long sleeved shirts and long pants are essential because there are a lot of ants and flies and they bite